Why I Teach English 

There are two main reasons I teach English.

The first reason is that my father immigrated to the USA from Poland in his late 20s, so he often asked for my help with English while I was growing up. From the time I was 15, I remember helping him edit emails and answering questions about grammar. This experience taught me a lot about the difficulties immigrants face when building a new life in a foreign language and it made the transition into a formal teaching position very natural for me, since I'd already had the experience of helping out a non-native speaker.

Then, when I was in university I decided to study Italian after spending time in Rome when I was 18. I fell in love with the language, culture, and people and wanted to experience the country in a more, immersive and authentic way. The only problem was that I was so scared and nervous before my classes that I almost quit the program and gave up on my dream. When I managed to overcome my block and reached conversational level, I knew I wanted to help others do the same in my native language and I accepted my first teaching position at the International Student Center at my university.

Since then, I've had the privilege of working with student from all over the world and have watched them grow...